Cozz is simply an artist you can't box in. From his debut studio album, Cozz & Effect, dropped in 2014 shortly after signing to J. Cole's Dreamville imprint. To his Fortunate EP, released in 2021, the Los Angeles native has been giving the rap game different flows and cadences for damn near a decade. In an era of traffic rap and ratchet music, Cozz represents the city in a different way, while still maintaining his hometown roots.

Born Cody Osagie, the Libra is both a LA icon, and a favorite within Dreamville lore. On the labels' 2019 Grammy-nominated collab project, Revenge of the Dreamers IlI, Cozz is the center of "LamboTruck" (with REASON & Childish Major), a hit track and one of the tape's most creative songs. But it's been a long, tumultuous journey for Cozz, who sat down to reflect on the early stages of his career.

"Just as a human being, I went through a whole lot of life experiences, from being a teenager to an adult," Cozz says. "And musically, I was still new. I started rapping at 16, and when I dropped my debut, I was 20."

The phrase "sink or swim" applies perfectly to Cozz's career. Two months after the release of Cozz & Effect, J. Cole's 2014 Forest Hills Drive hit the market, selling 353k first week and catapulting Dreamville and all who claimed it into the music industry mega-mainstream. Less than a year after inking the deal, it was now Cozz's time to live up to the expectations.

"I didn't have too much time to develop as an artist," he says. "I didn't really know who I was as an artist. A lot of mistakes I made had to be in front of everybody, I was thrown to the sharks, per se. I had to learn while developing on a major scale."

Cozz is gearing up for an impactful 2023. He tells UNDRGRND Magazine that he's switching up his approach to releasing music, recognizing that his fans want more from him.

"To be honest with you, I got enough music to drop five, six albums," he says. "I think the next part of my growth, the next part of my career, and my own personal vendetta, is to just drop shit, instead of waiting two years.

He also confirmed the release of his long-awaited upcoming joint project with Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) signee and fellow LA native, REASON. Needless to say, we can expect both versatility and consistency from Cozz throughout the remainder of the year."I'm showing people that I can expand from boom bap rap. I'm making real records on this shit, you feel me?" Cozz says. "I want to show I'm an artist. If I want to last in this shit, I want to show I can do everything."